NECESSITY.

Necessity, whom long I deemed my foe,

Thou cold, unsmiling, and hard-visaged dame,

Now I no longer see thy face, I know

Thou wert my friend beyond reproach or blame.

My best achievements and the fairest flights

Of my winged fancy were inspired by thee;

Thy stern voice stirred me to the mountain heights;

Thy importunings bade me do and be.

But for thy breath, the spark of living fire

Within me might have smoldered out at length;

But for thy lash which would not let me tire,

I never would have measured my own strength.

But for thine ofttimes merciless control

Upon my life, that nerved me past despair,

I never should have dug deep in my soul

And found the mine of treasures hidden there.

And though we walk divided pathways now,

And I no more may see thee, to the end,

I weave this little chaplet for thy brow,

That other hearts may know, and hail thee friend.